This large-scale battle first started in the waters south of the Swedish island of Gotland. Originally, Nicholas did not want his precious battleships to fight the Germans. His intention was only to attract the First Squadron of the German High Seas Fleet to the Baltic Sea.
In the east, it was enough to go back to reinforce Helgoland Bay before it was too late, but unfortunately his fleet commander Roger Stevinsky was not as smart as Holzendorf. During the hide-and-seek process between the two fleets, he was blocked by Holzendorf who had calculated the correct route.
A positive one.
November is approaching in the Baltic Sea. The howling cold wind is mixed with snowflakes. Low-hanging lead-colored clouds press on the turbulent waves. The thick water vapor blocks the sight of the high-precision optical instruments on these steel giants. In addition,
Due to some unexpected factors, the main fleets of both sides were not aware of each other until they were ten kilometers away. Suddenly, countless battle sirens sounded almost simultaneously on the entire sea. The sailors who had been waiting for a long time quickly entered the combat state, and the armor-protected fire control room
, the firing commanders began to receive the number of targets reported by the observers at various locations on the battleship via telephone | no | error | data, and then the staff began to manually calculate the data and obtain the results as quickly as possible
After that, he immediately notified all the turrets by phone, and then the gunners adjusted the direction and artillery pitch angle.
The battleships of both sides are almost identical. The five Braunschweig-class ships of the Germans and the four Gangut-class ships of the Russians are not only produced by the same shipyard, but there is even no difference in ship type. They are all reductions of the Kunlun-class battleships of the Chinese Navy.
In such a hasty encounter, at such a close combat distance, the nine battleships, which were almost identical except for their painting and flags, only had the quality of their soldiers. At this point, it was obvious that the Germans were better, and the five
The fifty 280 main guns of the Braunschweig-class fast battleship pointed to the port side were the first to complete their aim. As the No. 1 main gun on the bow of the Braunschweig was the first to spit out flames, in the next few seconds
Inside, the remaining forty-nine main guns fired one after another, and the giant battleships were pushed by the recoil and moved in the opposite direction of the sea almost simultaneously. Amidst the short and intensive muzzle sounds, each PAO bomb carried a heart-stopping sound.
The howling roared across the sea.
And at this moment, against the background of dark clouds and snowflakes in the distance, on the looming Russian warships, a light of fire flashed, followed by a flash of fire, and the Russians also opened fire, followed closely by twenty of the remaining three warships on both sides.
The four 305 main guns also opened fire one after another.
In the hasty encounter, neither side hit the target in the first round of shooting, but just after the water columns rose, each ship completed the target adjustment one after another. The Germans were the first to fire, and this time they scored the first hit.
According to records, a 280-penetration bomb fired from the Alsace hit the No. 1 turret of the Russian Sevastopol, but unfortunately it was deflected by the strong armor and exploded in mid-air.
After understanding that at such a distance, it was impossible for both sides to penetrate the other's armor, the two fleets approached each other at high speed with a tacit understanding, and even stopped shooting to stop wasting ammunition. When the distance was close to seven kilometers. It was almost.
In an instant, all the main guns of the battleships roared at the same time. Under the clouds, the muzzle flashes, which were tens of meters long and pointed directly at each other, looked extremely spectacular amidst the surging black waves. Of course, for the soldiers on these battleships, this scene was
It's not just spectacular.
The effect of shortening the distance was immediately apparent. Both the hit rate and the power of the explosive bombs all increased linearly. In a very short period of time, the German Braunschweig, the Prussian Nassau, the Russian Gangut,
The Poltava and the Queen Maria were all hit by bombs, and all the explosive shells penetrated the armor. For a time, the flames of the explosion on the entire sea surface were shining, and countless pieces of steel and human bodies were scattered in all directions, with flames and thick smoke.
One after another, they poured out from the punctured wounds. Among them, the German battle cruiser Nassau suffered the most. This half-level battle cruiser was the weakest battleship on the entire battlefield.
A 305mm piercing bomb penetrated the waterline armor, and seawater was already pouring in from the blasted wound. However, fortunately, the German warships had a perfect watertight design, so they could fully withstand such damage.
However, even after understanding that such a combat distance was effective enough, the commanders of the two fleets did not stop continuing to close the distance. The twelve warships dragged two track lines extending towards the intersection and kept closing the distance between the two sides.
At the same time, the giant cannons were still pouring bombs at each other at the fastest speed they could achieve, and the exploding fireballs rose one after another on the battleships. In the blood and fire, those loyal to
The sailors on duty went all out to reload, aim, shoot, and roar at the enemy, while the damage control soldiers in the cabin were fighting hard to put out fires and drain water at more and more wounds, and even repair damaged ships.
position, and do everything possible to ensure that your warships face the enemy with the strongest combat effectiveness.
When the distance was reduced to five kilometers, this naval battle could already be described as tragic. The hit rate of the giant bombs whizzing across the sea had risen to a terrifying ratio. Each ship almost every round
Every shot will result in at least one hit record, and every hit shell can penetrate the target's armor at any angle. Even one of the Nassau's main guns was hit by a three-zero shot fired by the opposite Alexander III.
The five-piercing explosive shell penetrated the front of the turret and then blew the entire turret into pieces. Fortunately, the Germans' rigorous watertight design saved the battleship and prevented it from becoming the first battleship to sink due to the explosion of ammunition.
.
At such a distance, for these almost identical battleships, the battle is no longer the battleship itself, but the courage and quality of the soldiers, and the tenacity of the commander. The twelve giant battleships are like two tangled warships.
Like the heavy armored cavalry together, they launched a bloody close-quarters fight. Amid the roars of the officers, the flames of the explosion, and the splash of steel, more than 10,000 sailors from the two fleets seemed to be mechanically fighting on their respective sides.
Fighting on the post, killing each other with those giant naval guns, and being killed at the same time, the raging flames burned in the flying snow, burned on the cold sea, and used death to paint a spectacular scene on the cloudy background.
Picture scroll.
At this moment, in the distant waters of western Germany, a periscope that was disappearing and appearing was slowly turning in the rough waves of the North Sea. Captain Otto Widigan, the captain of the underwater German U-9 submarine, was lying on the periscope carefully.
He was observing the sea surface. This young captain had just turned twenty-five this year, but he was already a famous hero of the German Navy. So far, he and the submarine he commanded had sunk fifteen Allied merchant ships.
This time, after completing supplies in Port William, he returned to southern England, where he was preparing to continue hunting North American merchant ships.
Of course, this voyage is not safe, because Britain controls the North Sea, and a large number of British cruisers and destroyers are scattered in this sea area. These anti-submarine ships equipped with hydrophones and depth bombs are the main enemies of German submarines.
To reach the hunting ground safely, you must first avoid the hunters on the water.
Captain Widigan, who searched the sea and found no enemies, was about to speed up and sail south. At this moment, a small destroyer suddenly appeared in the field of vision of the periscope. The St. George flag flying on the mast made him immediately alert.
, but because the distance was too far, he did not prepare to dive. The British hydrophones were too rudimentary, and it was difficult to detect these submarines equipped with the latest Chinese diesel engines and gearboxes unless the distance was too close. He just ordered the submarine to continue to operate with low noise.
Slowly sailing, these destroyers have a high speed of more than thirty-five knots, and it is generally difficult for submarines to escape once they are discovered.
He soon discovered that his choice was very correct, because two more British destroyers appeared in the periscope immediately. Now Captain Widigan did not even dare to leave. He directly ordered to shut down the engine and even prepared to put away the ship.
The periscope simply dived completely underwater, but at this moment, he discovered that behind the three British warships, on the background of the thick lead-gray clouds, there seemed to be something strange, as if there was something huge.
is slowly emerging.
He couldn't help but feel a shiver in his heart. He stopped putting away the periscope without hesitation and continued to stare. Less than a minute later, a huge black shadow appeared in his field of vision, followed by more and more similar figures.
The black shadow is like a slowly pushing out wall, gradually emerging in the background of clouds. As for the one at the front, it has completely revealed its true appearance, with a huge body, a towering ship building, and the two iconic ships on the bow.
It has twin piggyback turrets and twin main guns on the left and right sides of the ship. Although it is still impossible to determine the model, it is undoubtedly the latest perfect battleship.
Captain Widigan took a breath of air, but before he could wake up from the shock, he was stunned because one after another battleships behind the battleship revealed their true appearance as majestic as a mountain.
Less than two minutes later, a total of eight battleships appeared in the narrow field of view of the periscope. Captain Widigan turned the periscope like crazy, and more battleships were constantly appearing. Soon the big battleship in front of him was
The sea is densely packed with warships.
"Quickly, send a message to Port William, the British Home Fleet is dispatched." Captain Widigan forgot to keep calm. He exclaimed somewhat rudely. However, before the signal soldier could send out the telegram, he followed up immediately.
He exclaimed: "It's not just the British Home Fleet, but also the French Mediterranean Fleet. No, it's not just the battleships, they also have a large number of landing ships behind them." (To be continued...)